Pete Carroll on Rams win, midseason performance

October 30, 2013 10:58 PM

Photo: Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

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Pete Carroll on the Rams win and Seattle's midseason performance

The Seahawks weren't exactly impressive in their 14-9 win over St. Louis on Monday, but it was a win nonetheless. Now at the midpoint of their season, the 7-1 Seahawks have a short week to prepare for Tampa Bay on Sunday at CenturyLink Field. Here's what head coach Pete Carroll had to say Wednesday about the Rams game, the loss of Sidney Rice, the status of Percy Harvin and how the Seahawks will try to fix all their recent struggles.
Carroll's opening statement:PC: "This week comes quickly to us, obviously, with play Monday night. We're cranking to get this thing going. The game plan is well under way; it's a really important plan for us. We gotta get moving -- there are some areas that we want to improve on, obviously, from last week. We like to keep the winning going; we like to play better, or perform better. So there's stuff we're working on. ..."

"I didn't mention much after the game and all about what Bruce Irvin (pictured) did in this game. Bruce had a fantastic game for us. He was all over the place, he had eight tackles, and he had a sack and a forced fumble and a pick, and just looked really comfortable playing the (linebacker) position and all the different things that we're doing with him. There was thought that this was an experiment at one time -- it's totally working out and we're really excited about what he's doing. A lot of guys played well, but I just didn't mention him. I thought it was worth it because as we track his return to us and the transition that he's gone through (from defensive end), he's doing some really cool stuff. So that was -- I just thought it was worth noting. ... "

"This week, getting ready again, there are some areas we can improve on. We really made mistakes in this game that hurt us, defensively in the run game, a number of times. The corrections that we made did not hold during the game as well as we'd like, and they continued to run the ball. The rest of it was fine, our effort was good, we were hauling tail around and making tackles and making plays and stuff, but we just misread some things and didn't fit things the way we normally do. And so it added up to a lot of running yards, and they did a really good job to take advantage of that.
"And it kinda happened on the other side, too. We made a lot of mistakes in this game. And so this is a really important week for us to get back to really being fundamentally solid and on point, on both sides of the football. It was interesting that special teams was dead on it all the way across the board; they had a great game for us. So it wasn't there, it just happened on O and D, and particularly up front on both sides. And so our focus really goes there, and we're gonna see if we can improve our play. ..."

"Tampa coming in -- they come off a little break here, a bit of a break, and I know they're going to be dying to get their season going and get rolling in the right direction. This is a very tough football team; they're very physical. They had a really rigourous start. The first four games, every one of them, they could have won them all -- very difficult to take. And I know that they want to get that going again and get rolling, and so we know we're gonna get their best shot. And they're very aggressive on defense, they have a lot of playmakers -- highlighted guys that make plays.
"They've turned the game over on offense to (Buccaneers quarterback Mike) Glennon (pictured), and Mike's done a great job starting off. He's thrown the ball more than anybody in the history of the league in his first four starts as a rookie -- that's what I understand stat-wise. But that's a big statement about how they feel about him, how they trust him to handle the game. And he's done well so far. So, we know that we get a wide-open attack on offense and a very aggressive attack on defense, and one of the most fit special groups that we've seen, in terms of speed. It matches up very well with us.
"We're going to take this opportunity to come back and get the second half started very seriously. And we've got to get our game right, get our ball right. And I'm hoping that that can translate into a real nice win for us."

Q: A lot of the guys on defense said they were tired after the Rams game; they were on the field for over 38 minutes, after all. Was conditioning an issue?PC:

"No, I don’t think that was the case at all. I think the fact that it was such an emotional finish had a lot to do with it. It’s rare when a bunch of guys get that opportunity to stand up at the end of the game, and they expended every ounce that they had. I think that’s really what we were talking about in the locker room afterwards -- I know Earl (Thomas) and Clem (Chris Clemons) and some of the guys, they had given it everything they had to get that finish, to come through.
"That’s a very special moment for a group of guys out there. you don’t get that chance that many times to have to stand up against it, play after play after play, and then get the win like you want to -- and with exceptional effort and play. I think that was the expense that happened; I think it was the culmination of the whole game that occurred. We had 80 plays too, or something like that, on defense; that was a lot for us.
"On the other side of the ball, the offense is really fresh, so we’ll counter it that way."

Q: A lot of the guys on defense said they were tired after the... Photo-5392926.73080 - seattlepi.com

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Q: It seemed the Hawks missed more tackles than usual against the Rams. Was there a reason for that?PC:

"Numbers-wise it didn’t come out like that. We actually took ourselves out of position some, and the ball carrier went running by us more than we had the tackle opportunities. I wish we would’ve had the chance to miss the tackles. We just weren’t as sharp. And they did a little something with their game plan that was nice --it wasn’t brand new stuff, but they executed really well -- and once they saw it working they stayed with it. We didn’t adjust as well as we would’ve liked and come through consistently. We did some but not enough, and so they had a big day on us."

Q: It seemed the Hawks missed more tackles than usual against the... Photo-5392927.73080 - seattlepi.com

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Q: What were the most glaring mistakes you saw on the offensive line?PC:

"The glaring ones were missed assignments, when we actually had a chance to make a play and we missed an opportunity. There was a number of those, enough of those to make it feel bad. It wasn’t always the offensive lineman -- backs missed a pick up here and there, we missed a couple of things with the tight end helping out and chipping, and stuff like that. There was enough that happened that really made it a very hard night.
"It was kind of like what happened on defense. There was enough bad plays that occurred on defense to give them a bunch of running yardage. So I don’t know why that happened other than we just have to execute better, we have to be more fundamentally sound, and communicate better so that we don’t miss those opportunities. But it was a glaring part of that game; it made a big difference."

Q: What were the most glaring mistakes you saw on the offensive... Photo-5392928.73080 - seattlepi.com

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Q: Are you going to make any personnel changes to the offensive line?PC:

"No, we’re still trying to grow and do as well as we can with these guys. We think we’ve committed here for the right reasons and to the right guys, and our guys are ready to jump in when we need them. But we need every snap we can get to stay together and keep these guys -- develop the continuity that it takes to really function really well."

Q: Are you going to make any personnel changes to the offensive... Photo-5392929.73080 - seattlepi.com

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Q: Did you ever consider taking out right guard J.R. Sweezy after his two early penalties Monday?PC:

"No, he came back well. The hands that slipped to the facemask, that happens. The hold was a legit hold. Both penalties were legit penalties. But we’ve committed to him. We think that he is a fine football player for us, and he has to work his way through getting just a little wiser about when to, when not to.
"Had it happened another time early on? Maybe. I’ve done that in the past; I don’t mind sitting Breno Giacomini down, or the other fellas down, every once in a while if we have to. I didn’t think that that warranted it then. (It would happen) really more after when we’re jumping offsides and we’re sloppy at the line of scrimmage, or the real late hits that a couple of our favorite guys had had over the years, but not in that situation."

Q: Where are tackles Russell Okung and Breno Giacomini in their recoveries?PC:

"Matter of fact they are out there playing real strict attention to what’s going on. Because Russell (pictured left) has a chance to come back -- I believe it's Friday -- for the first time, and Breno (pictured right) is chomping at the bit, he’s getting really close. Russell he’s got a process to get through, but I think the first day that he can practice is Friday. Breno is really day-to-day right now; I would think by next week he'll be pretty active in what’s going on. So we’ll see what that means. I can’t project it, but I think that’s what we’re looking forward to."

Q: Did you think about taking a timeout at the end of the Rams game instead of letting it all come down to the final stand?PC:

"Yeah, sure. We were in that discussion from the beginning. And I liked the way it was going, I liked the way the tension was building, and I thought it was going to come down to us beating them on the last couple plays. I thought that just the drama of added to it, helped us. We think that we could’ve saved 20 or 30 seconds in there, and we could have, but I kind of liked the way that it was going and I wanted to take it right down to that last play. I thought that was freakin’ awesome. I loved it, the way it went."
Q: Special-teamer Heath Farwell (pictured) had a big stop on that goal-line stand. Was that a special personnel package you had on the field?PC: "Yeah, we were in goal-line defense. He plays in the goal-line package. He made a great play. ... He did a great job, he hit it just right, and stood for the style of play that we're looking for. It's a tremendous hit -- and Earl (Thomas) capped it off and some other fellas got in on the hit, too."

Q: Did you think about taking a timeout at the end of the Rams... Photo-5392932.73080 - seattlepi.com

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Q: Running back Marshawn Lynch

(pictured, No. 24) has gotten few carries in the past two games, and has appeared frustrated at times. Is he unhappy?PC: "No. He and I sat on the plane the other night coming home; we were both sitting in frustration for over the exact same issue. We didn’t get the ball to him in ways that we had hoped to because of the way the game turned out. There was no intention in it at all. Unfortunately we didn’t get him going. That’s not how we play. Hopefully we’ll do better this time. Just sometimes it happens, and it was unfortunate for a lot of reasons.
"I share the frustration with him. I don’t mind one bit him being frustrated about that. I was too."

"It’s a lot of things. The execution doesn’t allow you -- when you go 2-11 on third down, you don’t get first down again. There’s a good likelihood that he gets the ball on first and second down when we get those new series. It’s a number of things. If you’re asking me who we should blame, I’m not in to that. It’s not a question of that. It’s just the game and how it comes off sometimes; it doesn’t always work out the way you want it to. We would like to play for a lot more than 45 plays. Get us 60 plays and we’ll show you how it worked out. It just didn’t happen. ...
"I don't think he has much to do with that, really. I mean, he just goes out and plays every play as hard as he possibly can. It's what he's always done. So it has nothing to do with him, really. As long as he keeps playing really hard, we want to give it to him as much as we can."

"Well, it affects us because he’s a guy that we’ve gone too for a number of years here. We've trusted the heck out of him, he’s a terrific football player, he’s a great catcher, he really knows the system really well. He’s been around Bev (offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell) for so long that he really has it mastered, and so he helps other people around him play well and adjust and things as need be.
"I was sick for him, and I know it was a very unusual situation because he didn’t think he was hurt that badly. It wasn’t a real violent play that took place, but it just caught him exactly wrong, and nobody thought that he was that seriously hurt until he took the MRI and they found out that his ACL was in trouble.
"So, very unfortunate, and he’s been a big part of it, so we’re going to miss the heck out of him. But as always, this is where it calls for the next guys. So Doug Baldwin steps up and Jermaine (Kearse) steps up to fill in, and we’ll move up Ricardo Lockette, and count on all of those guys to take up the slack. When you have a veteran guy like that that we’ve counted on for a long time that’s big in the system, you’re going to miss him."

(pictured) this week?PC: "He’s still with the rehab guys today. And we’ll see how that goes and we’ll see what tomorrow (Thursday) means."
Q: There were reports that Harvin's hip was sore last week. Was that a setback or should that be expected?PC: "With the workload that he’s had to endure to get back and get in shape, there is going to be some stuff. And he’s been a little bit sore from last week, so we just want to make sure that we don’t go too far too fast. We’re looking for the long-haul thinking here in his recovery, so we just want to make sure that we can manage our way through that. So we’re being very careful, and he didn’t do whole lot last week, he did very little. It seems like it’s best to keep him in that mode for a little bit longer. We’ll see -- that's today (Wednesday) for right now."

Q: What do you expect from receiver Percy Harvin (pictured)... Photo-5392936.73080 - seattlepi.com

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Q: You just activated receiver Ricardo Lockette

(pictured in 2011) to take Sidney Rice's roster spot. You seemed to like him last year but he didn't make the team. Are you happy to have him back?PC: "Well he just kind of got caught in the numbers. He’s always been a tremendous, high-potential guy. He has great speed, he has fantastic catching range and hands. He’s a very inexperienced football player; he did not come out of college with a lot of background. And so he was behind trying to catch up all of the time.
"He’s had his moments with us and we really appreciate what he brings. The experiences that he’s had in the other two clubs that he’s been with seem to have broadened his sense and awareness and stuff. When we got him back out here, he jumped right back it. He recalled what we had done, he didn’t get confused by the new systems. So he’s put himself in a chance to compete to be part of this team. We know that he's got great range, he's got great speed, and we love that he adds to the group."
Q: Who picks up most of the slack for Rice? Is it Golden Tate?PC: "We try to throw to Golden as much as we can, so nothing changes about that."

(pictured at left) has been targeted just twice in the past two games. How can you get the ball to him more?PC: "Just play ball. Play ball. It was nothing by design, it just happened that way. We love what he does. We’ll get it to him by throwing it to him -- that's the answer to your question: 'by throwing it to him' -- but he’s in the offense and he’ll be a big part. He’ll have more opportunity with Sidney not being in there now. We’re excited to see him start in a game and play, and (seeing) Jermaine (Kearse) play a bunch and all of the guys add to it."

(pictured, No. 29) play?PC: "He played a really complete football game. He had a lot of opportunities to make physical plays, the real explosive plays that he kind of specializes in with his quickness and his mentality of going after stuff. Just a complete football game is what he played. He might have had six or seven -- five or six, anyway -- highlight plays in the game, of just firing up and making big-time tackles and stuff. So it was really cool to see him do that. And he was a big part of the goal-line situation, too, down there. He did a great job."

Q: Was the Rams game the best you've seen safety Earl Thomas... Photo-5392939.73080 - seattlepi.com

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Q: Do you place more importance on strong defense in the fourth quarter?PC:

"We put tremendous amount of emphasis on finishing. That’s a huge deal for us in all phases, in all aspects of our play. And it certainly is amplified at the end of the game on either side of the ball. There was a stat that somebody put in front of me about protecting leads in the last two minutes of a game -- it was a tremendous stat that we showed that is really a statement that we would like to stand for. We would like to be able to execute at our best when it’s all on the line at the end. If it’s the defense or the offense or whoever has the chance to make that situation come to life, we really do champion that one for sure.
"So that’s huge, that’s a huge deal to us. I think that there’s a whole mentality about finishing that takes a long time to hammer home, and how you do it and how you get it done, and why you spend so much time emphasizing it. One, it’s obvious that it’s a critical situation, but once you start to grab hold of that, it really can take shape and you can become a great finishing team. And so we’re trying to learn how to do that."

Q: Do you place more importance on strong defense in the fourth... Photo-5392940.73080 - seattlepi.com

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Q: In today's NFL, is it more challenging than ever to protect the quarterback?PC:

"I don’t know that that's changed; I don’t know that it’s that much different. I think it’ll go in waves here. I think that everybody will not allow that to happen. We’re working hard too, as well. There is nothing different that is happening defensively, people aren’t scheming differently than before. I don’t really have much to say about it, but I don’t think that anything has changed drastically though."

Q: In today's NFL, is it more challenging than ever to... Photo-5392941.73080 - seattlepi.com

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Q: Russell Wilson said after Monday's game that he had been able to 'surrender' on extended plays. Can you explain what that means?PC:

"Yeah, I understand that that was kind of taken differently. I thought he said it exactly right. What we tried to grab hold of last week is that there are opportunities for him to take care of the football first. And if he could recognize that by the nature of the rush and the situation that he was in, we were going to try to do a better job of that. He did a great job of that -- more so than the week before, he was rushed and had opportunity to where he could have gotten in trouble with the football.
"The key to us winning that football game is that he did that, and we didn’t give the ball up -- as vulnerable as we allowed that to happen and make him. The point is that he just was more conscious of putting the ball away and making sure he finished that play with the ball not getting out. That’s all that meant. As opposed to maybe the ball being wild and he’s spinning and running and getting hammered, I think he recognized the situations. We looked at every one of them. I think the first fear is, 'Oh boy, he’s not going to try as hard to make the plays he’s going to make.' That’s not what he was talking about, and that’s not what we understand about that at all. It was just how he put the ball away when the hits were happening. ..."

Q: Russell Wilson said after Monday's game that he had been... Photo-5392942.73080 - seattlepi.com

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On Wilson's 'surrender' comment (continued):PC:

"I thought he did a fantastic job of that and won the football game for us. If we would’ve given them the ball one time we wouldn’t have won. That’s the first game this year that we haven’t turned the football over, and it had nothing to do with the rest of the game. I thought that in those situations he did a great job, and he just told you exactly what it took to get that done, he understood it really clearly. That’s another example of Russell fixing something. I’ve told you before that when we -- when something comes up and it’s a big issue and we need to do something about it, he fixes it, and he did. Hopefully he continues to take care of the ball like that and it’ll help us win the next game."
Q: Do you think Wilson's getting sacked a lot is because he holds on to the ball too long?
"No. No, I don't. I don’t think that at all."

(pictured) and his subsequent fine, the head of NFL officiating on Wednesday said the league is considering a rule that would take away TDs if a player is flagged for taunting. What do you think of that?PC: "No I think that’s a terrible thing to do. I think it puts too much pressure on the officials to change a game like that. I don't think that's the time -- I think that the actions that the league took in this case were warranted exactly. But I think that would be a terrible thing for an official -- and I think it’s terrible in college football -- to put it on a back judge to have to figure out whether they should take the touchdown away in a game.
"Remember, wasn’t there a play here with (then-UW quarterback) Jake Locker a few years back when he threw the ball in the air or something like that? That was horrible, that was a horrible call to affect a game. That should just not be part of what the official has to call. Throw the flag, do the normal thing, and then take care of business afterwards.
"Taking a look at (Tate's) situation -- just to say it again -- that’s not the way we want to present who we are and we’re all about. It was a mistake that Golden has totally taken accountability for and all of that. I just wish it wouldn’t have happened for a lot of reasons. The statement that he made, and that we make about it, I hope is clear -- that there is no place for that in football, we don’t need that at all, and that’s not part of this game at all. He gets the regular scrutiny that he should get, and he’ll take it."
Q: Did the Rams say something to Tate that set him off, or anything?PC: "I have no idea."

(pictured) have total control of the play-calling, or do you sometimes step in?PC: "I’ve always been involved. I’ve always been involved going into the plan, with absolute trust in the process with what he does and all that our coaches bring on offense. But there's times, there's times, yeah, because I want the games to go in a particular fashion. I try to do it really well, which means doing it in between series and halftime, when the breaks are there -- I try never to influence him in the middle of his sequencing, because that's a terrible thing to do to a play-caller. There's been a couple of times where I’m like, ‘Oh no!’ or something about a call, or whatever. But for the most part, 99.9 percent of the time, he’s rolling.
"He takes input from all of our guys, particularly from (offensive line coach) Tom (Cable) in the run game. So we work that connection. We’re on the headsets together and I hear everything that is going when the offense is on the ball. There's just -- we have a way now, we’ve been together long enough, that we work in a very fluid sense. And I think he does a fantastic job at calling plays. He mixes beautifully, he maintains the balance that we want, he knows how to make the big calls, and he knows how to go for it. I love the way that Darrell calls the game -- no hesitation with it.
"But there are times when we might say, 'With this much time left, with the way we’re playing on defense, let’s go this way,' or 'that way.' So we just work together on it, and it’s a very open, good conversation that we have. I would say that maybe there is a handful, three or four plays a game, that I might influence -- and sometimes it’s a little bit more than that, but rarely it’s any more than that. Just a few times."

Q: How crucial was Wednesday's practice to get past the ugly win Monday?PC:

"It is important. Today was a combined day. We start off the week on Monday and we get to the truth of what happened, on a normal week. So today we had to kind of divide that meeting up, and so we did it, and got to it, talked about it, showed all of the plays and the stuff we needed to attend to, and then broke off and came back and started off the day for the week’s preparation of 'competition Wednesday' for us.
"It’s really important. And I think that we have to learn how to let the stuff go one way or the other -- big game, bad game, whatever -- so that you can focus on the next game. So we’ll try to demonstrate that again. We’ll find out how we practice today. We’re in a different mode today again because it’s a short week, so it’s not the kind of running-around practice that we normally have on a Wednesday, it’s a different focus for us. But it’s crucial that we do a really good job of this. Most importantly we need to go to today and focus on what’s happening. That’s what we’re trying to get done."

Q: How crucial was Wednesday's practice to get past the ugly... Photo-5392946.73080 - seattlepi.com

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Q: Now that we're halfway through the season, how do you feel about where the Seahawks are?PC:

"Well we’ve accomplished all that we could with what was left after the (Indianapolis) loss. It was really important that we finish this first half; we do look at the season in quarters to keep the perspective of what’s going on. We’ve accomplished a lot at the halfway point. But we are so far away from playing the way we’re capable of playing that it’s exciting to see where we can take it.
"Right now, we have to find the focus to make the very most of today. And that’s what we got to do every single day through this thing, and just keep on taking it one step at a time, and keep marching, and correct the things that we can correct, and control the things that we can control, and the things that we can't we leave them outside, we don’t mess with them.
"If we can do a good job that then we’re going to have a pretty darn good season. But it’s a long ways from being done -- we're nowhere right now, it’s just the halfway point. I’m happy that we finished it as well as we could have; I’m excited about the start of the second half. To me it’s the beginning of the finish, is where we are right now. (Sunday) is the first game in the finish aspect of the season, so we’ll see where we go with it."

Q: Now that we're halfway through the season, how do you feel... Photo-5392947.73080 - seattlepi.com

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Q: How significant is winning four out of your first five road games?PC:

"I think that’s a big accomplishment. We were 2-3 on the road last year at this time. I think that’s a big improvement on our football team. I can totally feel it and see it in the way we approach it, in the way we show up on game day, and the way we have played. It’s been a much more consistent mentality, and it’s given us a chance to win the games that have been very hard.
"They’re so hard to win. How that (Rams) one looked, or if you go back to the Houston game, it’s so difficult to get those games and we would’ve done anything to get that Indy game -- regardless of what it took in the finish. We get stronger, we get smarter, we have more resolve I think as we move forward with the history of this first half. So we’ll see what happens."

Q: How significant is winning four out of your first five road... Photo-5392948.73080 - seattlepi.com

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Q: How do you feel the NFC West is shaping up at this point in the season?PC:

"It’s the middle of the season, so we don’t know. I have no idea. You can’t tell anything right now, I don’t think. I think everybody is capable of beating everybody else. People are healthy enough that they could put out good games. So we’ll have to just keep taking it one step at a time. Everybody's good -- I think everybody has a chance to have a very successful season in our division. Our teams are tough. And we’ll see what happens."